Bella Notte

If there's a factor that sets Bella Notte apart from the myriad of moderately priced Italian dining spots on the restaurant scene, it's the ambience. The former home of Toque and Lucca is an especially cozy space, its walls freshly painted a sunny yellow, its furnishings tasteful and understated. Here, the service is every bit as gracious and welcoming as the setting.

But, as I learned one night, it's wise to check the blackboard at the rear of the restaurant for the price of the specials. That listing escaped the notice of everyone at our table, which is why the friend who ordered the lamb chops from the recited repertoire registered shock when the tab came. At a restaurant where most entrees hovered around the $15 mark, those chops weighed in at a hefty $35.95.

They were a big success, though - rimmed with spices, rare, as ordered, and extremely tender.

Overall, most of the food succeeded. Plump baked clams were set atop a garlicky, lemony sauce, which was spooned over them by a solicitous waiter after he divided the appetizer between two plates. On another visit, that same sauce was drizzled on mushrooms stuffed with a simple bread-crumb mixture. It wasn't a fancy dish, but it worked. So, too, did the fried calamari rings and tentacles - all of them crisply battered, most of them tender - accompanied by a pitcher of tomato sauce.

What really won me over was that Italian-American classic, spaghetti and meatballs. The meatballs were loose-textured and savory, the spaghetti done al dente, the sauce lively. When it came to linguine with white clam sauce, I found it hard to distinguish the clam meat from the plentiful cloves of garlic. Not everyone enjoys biting down on a big hunk of garlic, even if it's been mellowed by cooking. Capellini Bolognese translated into a hearty tomato meat sauce rather than a true Bolognese, traditionally not dominated by tomatoes and enriched by a little milk or cream. It was, nonetheless, good.

Better yet was the veal Francese, fork-tender, egg-battered meat in a balanced, citrusy sauce. But the shrimp scampi had a strong and unpleasant iodine taste; it was the only real flop.

This is one of the few value-priced Italian restaurants where dessert is actually worthwhile. I had several forkfuls too many of the light and liqueur-soaked tiramisu, which transcended the cliché. And the exceptionally fine Napoleon - worth every flaky, creamy, airy bite - ended the meal on a note of promise.

Reviewed by Joan Reminick, 1/16/08.